The poly pellets (to weight down the back end) I ordered off of eBay arrived on Tuesday and I finished the hippo later that day. This was the most adventurous crochet project I’ve ever taken on since I learned the art last fall, so I was dying to show it off and brag about it! My ego fueled my quick work on the hippo, I couldn’t wait to take credit for this. Sorry for the poor lighting in the photos, but it’s raining all week in New England and I couldn’t wait for the sun to come back.

The side view.

As I always do with a new project, I’m currently going overboard. I’m already on my third hippo. I made the first hippo freehand and I was worried I wouldn’t be able to replicate the snout, so I started making the second hippo right away. Turns out I remembered pretty well and the second hippo turned out lovely. Plus all of these hippos have places to go! I want to keep one for myself, I want to give one to my sister-in-law who suggested I try making a hippo, and I want to be able to put one in my Etsy shop. I think this little guy will make a cute gift so I may want to keep a couple around to give to any hippo fans I come across in the future.

The end.

I dedicated quite a few tweets to this hippo project, like the ones that said I wasn’t sure how I was going to make a hippo, I didn’t know how I’d weigh it down, my wrist hurt, etc. There’s a moral to this hippo project story: don’t doubt your crafting abilities! Creativity, experimentation, dedication, and the help of a network of experienced crafters can get you far. I ripped out a lot of stitches making this hippo, but it turned out well. Don’t be afraid to play with the stitches you know until you get what you want, you probably have more skill than you think you do. That was definitely my case. While I don’t think hippos are typically symbols of accomplishment and ability, my little hippo is for me.

Do you have a story about a tough project that gave you more confidence upon completion? Or have you come up with a cute pattern for hippos?